


Under the Light of Your Sun

by Sheeana



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Developing Relationship, F/M, Post-Canon, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheeana/pseuds/Sheeana
Summary: Avad has a problem, and only one person he trusts to help him solve it.
Relationships: Aloy/Avad (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Under the Light of Your Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [prosodiical](https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosodiical/gifts).



Avad gripped the railing of the balcony overlooking the lower terraces of the palace and sighed. The sun was high in the sky, beating down and enshrouding the world in its warmth. He turned his face to it and closed his eyes, allowing the heat to fall on him as though it might bring clarity. His father had thought it would.

His father had gone mad, thinking it would.

He sighed again as he lowered his chin.

The sound of familiar footsteps behind him had him turning around, a smile already tugging at his lips. He forced it down. Now was not the time. There were urgent matters to attend to.

"Aloy," he said. A subdued greeting for a subdued moment. Even so, he couldn't help but look at her. There was little else one could do in Aloy's presence. He had once thought it must be a problem unique to him, but had since learned better. Aloy commanded the full attention of all who came before her.

Her braids swayed around her shoulders as she crossed her arms, leaning back and giving him a skeptical look.

"Erend said you wanted to see me," she said.

His brow tightened as he considered her. "You sound disappointed. May I ask why?"

"Erend also shushed me when I asked what this was about, and said I should keep quiet until we were inside the palace."

"Ah."

"Did something happen? Your guards seem to be on edge."

"No, nothing happened. Yet." He looked down again over the courtyards below. She was right. There were more guards than usual, and even from a distance, he could see the tension in the way they held themselves, the way they moved, the way they came close to speak to each other in hushed tones. He had hoped it would be less noticeable.

"So that's why I'm here," said Aloy, coming over to lean against the railing at his side. 

"It's... a reason, why you're here," he said, glancing at her. She still seemed unimpressed.

Before she could answer, he turned to retrieve an arrow from the table beside his throne and held it out to her. As she took it, he tried not to read too much into the way her fingers brushed against his, though he knew her movements were always deliberate. She showed more self-control than the finest of his warriors.

"Look at this." She ran her fingertip over a mark engraved into the wood of the arrow shaft. "This is a symbol I saw in the Citadel, but it's been two years since we defeated the Shadow Carja."

It was the same conclusion that Erend and Avad had grimly reached, when Erend had yanked the arrow from the wall where but for a chance decision to step aside, it would have buried itself in Avad's chest. He inclined his head to her.

"We may have killed their leaders and sundered their army, but some of them still hold out," he said. "They're like the machines. Somehow, there always seem to be more of them, no matter how many we defeat."

"No, the machines come from-" Aloy stopped and seemed to hesitate, looking up at him.

"Come from...?"

"From the Cauldrons."

"Yes. That is common knowledge, isn't it? There are several in the Sundom. We've seen the machines emerging."

"No, but- there are reasons why they keep making more. They don't just magically appear."

"So I had assumed. Will you tell me about them? There are so many things my scholars don't know."

"Maybe not right now. I think we have bigger problems to deal with first," she said, sounding sheepish. "So this means the Shadow Carja are after you?"

"So it seems. We learned about a plot from a man we captured a few weeks ago, but we didn't expect them to make the attempt so brazenly. Erend thinks it would be better if I lay low until we learn more. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for the Sun King to keep a low profile while he's in Meridian," he said dryly. "We were hoping you could help."

"You mean, you want me to take you out of the city for a while?"

"If you will permit me to accompany you, yes."

Aloy considered him again. She seemed to be sizing him up. "You took back Meridian from the last Sun King. I'm guessing that means you know how to fight?"

"I can hold my own."

"All right. Sounds like we have a plan, then."

He smiled. "That easy of a decision?"

"I've been alone for a long time now. I could use a traveling companion," she said. "Besides, I've put a lot of work into keeping you and Meridian safe. I'd hate to see it all go to waste. Should we get going, then? Before anyone tries anything else."

"If you like," he said. "I'll need a few hours to prepare."

She was frowning, staring down at one of the lower courtyards. He tilted his head, trying to get her attention.

"What about your brother?" she asked, when she looked up and seemed to notice his expression. "Isn't he in danger, too?"

"He's safe with his mother. It's easier to secret away the younger brother of the king than the king himself. People tend to notice when I don't show up for the daily audiences. In any event, they might not even target him. He was their figurehead, after all."

"Okay. So where should I meet you?" she said, apparently satisfied with his answer.

"In the market square after sundown. I'll make sure no one sees me leaving the palace."

"I'll see you there. Oh, and bring everything you need for a long journey. It's not _quite_ as comfortable out there as it is in here."

"I've lived outside the palace before," he replied, with a rueful smile. "I'm sure I can survive it again for a little while."

She was laughing as she pushed herself back from the railing and walked away.

\---

As promised, Aloy was waiting for him in the market near a closed-up fruit stall. He'd taken side streets and back alleys to make his way there, keeping his hood up and his face downcast from any passers-by whenever he passed beneath lit candles and lamps. It was strange, seeing the city from this vantage point. As one of its citizens, rather than its ruler.

Aloy eyed him when he came closer. He'd chosen to wear the garb of a Carja merchant: simple silks dyed in bright colors, a small bow and a large pack slung across his back, a blade strapped to his waist alongside a quiver. He hoped it was enough to pass for a traveler. As he approached Aloy, the single guard accompanying him faded back into the shadows, leaving him alone as instructed. It had taken some convincing from both Erend and Avad to assure his personal guards that he would be safe in Aloy's company.

"Do you approve?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as she saw the way she seemed to be evaluating him. "It was the best I could do on short notice. I thought of dressing as an Oseram or a Nora, but there wasn't time."

"No one is going to believe you're an Oseram or a Nora. You do make for a decent Carja merchant or adventurer. Traveling scholar, maybe."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Shall we be off?"

"You first, Your Majesty." Aloy was smirking as she gestured. 

"You'd better not keep calling me that, or they'll find me no matter where I try to hide," he said, chuckling.

"No one is going to believe the Sun King is traveling with an outlander," she pointed out, as they fell into step beside each other.

"Not even after you saved the Sundom? Word travels fast here."

"Most people have never seen me in person."

"I suppose you're right. We'll just look like two ordinary travelers."

"One of us _is_ an ordinary traveler," she said dryly.

"Hardly," he replied, smiling as she shook her head.

He found himself moving cautiously as they made their way through the streets, toward one of the great elevators that would take them down to the town at the foot of the mesa. It would be safer than trying to leave through the front gates while assassins stalked the city, and less fraught than trying to pick their way down the cliffs. Avad was capable enough, but he knew his own limits. Even if Aloy could make the climb down the sheer walls, he wouldn't have been able to follow.

At any moment, he expected to be recognized. Worse, to be ambushed – this would be a terrible place for it, among the narrow alleys and market stalls and residents going about their business even at this hour. At least if they made it into the wilds before his assailants made their move, he wouldn't be putting his own people at risk.

Thankfully, they reached the edge of the city without incident. A guard waved to Aloy and greeted her as Avad tried to pull his hood closer around his face and stand in the shadows, away from the ever-glowing lanterns that kept the streets lit at all hours of the day and night. It seemed to work. The guard paid him no mind.

"Where exactly are you planning on taking me?" he asked Aloy, after the guard had closed them both into the elevator. They were already descending down the side of the mesa, the compartment rattling around them. A wonder of engineering and craftsmanship. It was a rare opportunity for him to simply enjoy the ride.

"Away from the city. After that, well..." Aloy looked over at him like she was sizing him up again. "I always find that the best way to deal with a problem is to find the source. If you're up to it."

He paused to consider what she was proposing. The elevator kept creaking, filling the silence until he spoke again. "You're saying you want to bring me right to them?"

"I know it's not what Erend wanted, but I don't see how else this ever ends."

"A good point," he said. "All right. I trust you."

"Just like that?"

"As you pointed out earlier, you've saved my life, my family, and my city several times over. You've already proven your trustworthiness. And besides, I never get out anymore. Why wouldn't I be up for a little adventure?"

He saw the way her lips quirked, even with her face shrouded in shadow. They rode the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

After disembarking from the elevator, they passed through the northern gate of the town and then headed east from the maize fields into the trees. A sticky, humid heat lingered in the outskirts of the jungle, even at night. Avad's clothes were damp with sweat by the time they emerged from the trees and began to climb back up to the main road, but he never complained. His time among the Oseram hadn't been for nothing. He had learned to endure the elements.

From there, they followed the road, avoiding any machines wandering nearby and keeping their distance from fellow travelers. It was uncomfortable to keep his hood up, but it would have been more uncomfortable for an arrow to find its way between his ribs, so he never lowered it. Aloy spoke little beyond the occasional quip. He didn't press her. Too much noise would only draw unwanted attention.

That night they made camp in a sheltered area between two of the great plateaus rising out of the earth to the northeast of the city. Aloy picked her way through a field of boulders and found a suitable spot, nestled away where no one – machine or human – would be likely to spy their presence, so long as nothing wandered too close. The smoke from their fire would be hidden by a bend in the rock walls towering over and around them.

As they worked to set up their camp for the night, Avad took a moment to admire Aloy's efficiency. There was beauty in how she moved, her grace and ease in her knowledge of the land, the way she could pick apart a machine with her mind before taking it apart with her weapons and hands. He could watch her forever and never grow tired of it.

They ate an evening meal of roasted fish and fruit from the market and then sat together near the fire. When Avad glanced over, he saw that Aloy had pulled out the arrow he'd given her back in the palace. She was turning it over in her hands, considering it with her brow furrowed.

"Does that give you any idea where these Shadow Carja might be hiding?" he asked.

"Maybe. From the make of it, it looks like it came from the borderlands near the Claim. But that doesn't mean that's where we'll find your assassins."

"It's a start, at least," he said. "Is that where we're going?"

Aloy looked up at him, her head slightly tilted to the side. "You're leaving a lot in my hands."

"Your very capable hands. A good king knows who he can rely on."

She was smiling when she looked back down at the arrow in her hands. "Then that's where we're going. I thought we could stop in a village or two along the way. Ask if anyone's seen anything out of the ordinary lately."

"You know, there are some old Carja forts just south of the mountains. It's possible the Shadow Carja are holed up in one of them. It would be a fortified location, easy to defend. Well-hidden. It's only a guess, though."

"It might be a good one," she replied. "Either way, like you said. It's a start."

He studied her for a while after that. The flickering light of the fire was reflected in her eyes. He found himself mesmerized by it, until he realized what he was doing and shook himself free. 

"May I ask you something? Why are you going this far out of your way to help me?" he said. "If you ever had any debt to me or my people, it's been repaid several times over."

"I don't know. Maybe I had nothing better to do?" Aloy looked up from the fire again and met his eyes, giving him a small, slanted smile.

"Somehow I doubt that you ever find yourself lacking for things to keep you occupied. It seems like everyone is vying for your attention."

"All the more reason to give it to someone I actually like," she said. "Better yet, someone I trust. That's something that's a little harder to come by out here than hearts and lenses."

He couldn't hide his smile, even as he turned his face back to the warmth of the fire. He tried to focus on the crackling sound of the wood burning, if only to spare them both some embarrassment by trying to come up with a response. 

If she had anything else to say, she didn't say it. They fell back into companionable silence until they both rose from their places near the fire and went to lay out their bedrolls for the night.

\---

Several more days passed in the same way. Each morning they rose at dawn and packed up their camp, and then spent the day making their way northward. They stopped in a village along the way, staying one night in an inn before resuming their travels. When the road split they followed it to the northwest, up into the foothills where the air was cool and dry.

The sky was clear the second night after leaving the village. They made camp beneath a small rock formation, far away from the Snapmaws prowling near the banks of the river they'd been following. 

After their evening meal, they lay side-by-side on the ground, watching the stars overhead. Avad felt drawn up into them - into the light painted across the sky like the brushstrokes of the greatest master artists in the Sundom. They were brighter out here than in Meridian, where the eternal lights of the city seemed to make them dim in comparison.

"Do you know what stars are?" Aloy asked, when some time had passed without either of them breaking the silence.

"My priests tell me they are facets of the Sun amid the shadow, reminding us that dawn will always break. I take it that's not what your – what did you call it, again?"

"Focus."

"Not what your Focus tells you?"

"It tells me about how the Old Ones saw the sky. The stars, they're..." She hesitated again. He caught the way she was looking at him: with concern and trepidation, as if wary of his reaction if she kept talking.

"It's all right, Aloy," he said, offering her a small smile. "I know that not everyone shares my people's beliefs. I won't shatter from hearing whatever you have to say. I'm curious, actually. What did the Old Ones think about the stars?"

"Well, the stars are like the sun. Millions and millions of suns, spread out all over the sky. The reason they're so small is because they're really, really distant. So far away it's hard to imagine. But they were trying to send people out there, before the machines destroyed their civilization. All the way out into the stars to live on other worlds."

Avad found himself turning his head away from the stars to watch her as she spoke, captivated by her every word. Not just her words. The imagery behind them. The idea of people living in the sky, among the stars. Walking the ground of other worlds.

"When they knew everything was going to end, they saved all their knowledge in a great... library," she said, continuing after glancing over at him again. "But it was destroyed, and so all we got were the pieces of their cities they left behind. And the machines. And, well, us. They... she... managed to save us."

"She?" he asked quietly.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later, if you're still interested. It's a long story."

"It sounds like an important one. Is there any way for us to recover this library and the knowledge it holds?"

"I don't know. That's one of the things I've been searching for, these past few years. I haven't found it yet. If I do, I'll let you know. I think maybe you could help me figure out what to do with it."

They fell silent again. Aloy sat up, took a stick, and used it to stoke the fire. Avad considered what she had told him, what it meant about his own knowledge of the world. What other hidden secrets there might be locked away in the ruins of the ancients. Whether they could be uncovered, given time and effort – and who better to expend that effort than the Sun King? What better ventures could there be, than furthering the collective knowledge of his people? What other wonders could they make like the great elevators of Meridian?

When he slept that night, he dreamed of floating among the stars, looking down over a million brilliant suns shining in otherworldly skies.

\---

And so their journey went. They stopped in another village, where a few of Aloy's clever quips and a boar skin were enough to trade for information about strange masked warriors who had passed through this valley not two days prior. A handful of animal bones was enough to earn the location to which these strangers appeared to be headed: one of the abandoned forts to the northwest, just as Avad had suspected.

While Aloy bargained with the village residents for supplies for the last leg of their journey, Avad leaned against a wooden fence, keeping back despite the unlikelihood of anyone recognizing his face here. Even the guards assigned to this settlement had probably never seen him in person.

"Your clothes are very fancy," said a child's voice, from behind him, interrupting as he watched Aloy leaning against her hip with her arm as she spoke animatedly with an older woman.

He turned, raising his eyebrows at the girl who had seemed to appear out of nowhere on the other side of the fence. Sensing no danger, he smiled. "Are they? I thought they were a little bit dusty, myself."

"I like that color." She pointed at his sash, dyed a bright orange.

"Then you must have good taste," he said, chuckling.

"Are you from Meridian? My brother says everyone in Meridian is rich."

"I've... been to Meridian," he said cautiously. "Not everyone is rich, but some of them are."

"I wish I could go there," she said, with a wistful sigh.

"Maybe someday you can. The gates are open to anyone who wants to visit."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really. Oh, it looks like my traveling companion is ready to leave. It was nice to meet you." He swept into a polite bow as if addressing a noble. She was giggling with delight when she ran off toward the village square.

"Well?" Aloy said, as she came to rejoin him, her pack full and brimming with traded goods. "Did you make a new friend?"

"She liked my clothes and wanted to know if we were from Meridian."

"Ouch. Maybe you're not as well-disguised as you thought." She elbowed him lightly in the side.

He laughed, but soon fell quiet. They stood together for a moment, looking out over the hills. Assessing their next move. When he finally turned to Aloy, her eyebrows were raised as if _challenging_ him.

"Are you still up for a little adventure?" she asked. "It's not too late to turn around."

"With you at my side, how could I say no to an adventure?"

She was grinning as they set forth once again.

\---

Two more days' travel brought them to the foot of a path leading up to a plateau overlooking a shallow canyon. Perched at the top was their target: an old Carja fortress that used to serve as a waypoint for travelers heading north toward the Claim. As with many things, it had fallen into disuse and disrepair during the reign of Avad's father. Eventually, Meridian had all but forgotten this corner of the Sundom.

Apparently someone had found a new use for it. There was smoke rising from fires burning within the walls.

"We'll head up and sneak in tonight," Aloy said. "Hopefully there will be enough cover that we can do this quietly. That fortress looks like it could hold dozens of soldiers. I'd rather not have to fight off a small army if we can avoid it."

"Neither would I," he said.

"Check your gear while I do some scouting. I'll be back in an hour or two."

As Aloy set off, Avad set about doing as he was told. He checked his weapons and supplies. He did it again when he was finished, and a third time after that just to be sure. Then he settled in to wait.

His tension rose steadily throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, but Aloy seemed calm when she returned just before sundown. He could only imagine how many times she'd done something similar – or worse, judging from some of the stories she'd told on their journey. He'd tried to picture the vicious beast machines dripping with liquid fire, but her descriptions defied any imagination. He could only hope they never came south to the Sundom.

When she rose to begin their assault and beckoned for him to join her, he did so silently, making use of every skill that Erend and Ersa had taught him. His footsteps were soundless, or as close as he could get to it. Once again, Aloy showed him how much he had left to learn.

Aloy came to his side once they had approached the crumbling walls of the fort. He shivered as he felt her breath on his ear, but did his best to keep a clear head as she whispered to him.

"I'll climb up that tower and take out the guards, then head for the commander's quarters on the third level. That's where I'd expect their leader to be. You go that way-" She pointed at a spot where the wall had caved in partway, making for an easier entrance, "-And go around the outer wall. If this fort is anything like every other Carja fort I've ever been to, we'll meet up in the middle."

He nodded. She said nothing further as she went to begin her climb. He watched until she'd disappeared over the top of the tower. Only then did he begin his own climb, painstakingly making his way up, handhold by handhold, until he'd vaulted over the gap and onto the walkway that ringed the fortress wall. He crept along it, checking his surroundings before making any moves. This reminded him so much of the old days. Taking Shadow Carja outposts with his Oseram allies, the throne the furthest thing from his mind. There were times when he missed it fiercely. Though his life had often hung by a thread, there had been a certain kind of simple freedom in exile. 

But now he needed to focus on the task at hand, so he set aside his nostalgia and readied his blade. A grunting sound came from somewhere off to his left – Aloy taking out one of the guards with a well-placed arrow. Another followed, and then two more. He couldn't help but marvel once more at how she worked. Silently, efficiently, never alerting anyone to her presence. 

By the time he'd made his way to his destination, Aloy seemed to have all but disposed of the rest of the guards in the immediate vicinity. He looked about for her, finding nothing but an empty room and a staircase leading further down into the keep. She'd been right; that was likely where the commander would be sleeping. 

"This way," she whispered, suddenly appearing at his side. 

Long years of training were the only thing that kept him from reacting audibly. He nodded again and followed her down the stairs, gripping his sword and tensing as they emerged into the commander's quarters.

He turned out to be a tall man, facing away from them when they reached the last few steps, dressed in the dark fabrics and metals the Shadow Carja favored. He seemed to be studying a scroll in the low light from the lit fireplace. The room was bare apart from a bed, table, and single chair. The state of the fortress was leaving Avad with the impression that these Shadow Carja were not as well-equipped as he had feared. A small mercy.

"Do you want to, or should I-?" Aloy was starting to ask softly, but then it was too late. 

With a sudden cry, their target had dropped the scroll and set upon them. Aloy shoved Avad out of the way before taking up her spear. The battle that followed was both vicious and short. Avad didn't even have time to think about joining the fray before Aloy had backed their assailant up to the wall. He didn't turn his head aside as she finished it. He was watching when the Shadow Carja spit on the floor. As much an indictment of Avad as the arrow that had nearly found his heart in Meridian, but Aloy didn't leave any time for a response. The man slumped to the ground and she stepped back, already wiping off her spear and tucking it into its sling over her back.

"Well, it looks like that takes care of-" She froze, her triumphant smile dying on her face. 

For a moment he didn't understand why. Then he heard it: voices shouting. Raising the alarm. Someone must have discovered one of the bodies. They might have taken out the leader, but there were still others to contend with – and only the two of them and a diminishing supply of arrows.

"That's just what we needed," said Aloy. "Let's go. We can't take the rest of them by ourselves." She glanced around, taking stock of their situation. Searching for escape routes. "Here," she said suddenly, reaching for his wrist.

Without hesitating, without questioning, he followed her. He probably would have followed her anywhere. Straight to his doom, if that was where she intended to lead him. A poor quality in a king, but at least he could be honest with himself about it. 

As luck had it, she chose not to lead him astray, though when she stopped at the edge of the cliff, he peered skeptically down into the canyon below the fortress. He could climb well enough, but the fall if he slipped was longer than he would have liked.

"Hold on to me," Aloy said. She secured her rope around a rock jutting out of the ground at the lip of the canyon.

He had just enough time to begin to comprehend what she meant before she was pulling him against her side and holding him there with a strong grip. He wrapped his arms around her waist in time to realize she was already pushing off from the edge.

His body knew he was falling before his mind caught up. The pit of his stomach seemed to drop out into nothing. Wind whistled in his ears. In the near-darkness, a blur of muted color rushed past his eyes as they descended.

And then Aloy was using her ropes to slow them, and the world caught up with him again. He stared at her, wide-eyed and breathless, as she set them lightly down on the ground.

There was only a moment to catch their breath before they heard more voices overhead, rousing guards for a search of the area. They met each other's eyes, his own grim expression reflected back in Aloy's. They weren't safe yet.

"We'll follow this river through the canyon," Aloy said, nodding in the direction it was flowing. "We can't go back the way we came, and they'll get here before we can climb out. Hopefully we'll find a path somewhere to take us to higher ground."

"Lead the way," he replied, still reeling from their sudden fall. 

Her firm grip on his arm was enough to keep him on his feet. They ran. Until he was wheezing and his chest ached, they ran. Until he felt he couldn't bear taking another step. The sounds of their pursuers grew louder and quieter in turn, but eventually all he could hear was his own heartbeat and breath.

Even when Aloy finally allowed them to slow to a walk, there was no reprieve. He caught his breath just in time to catch the sound of something large moving somewhere ahead of them. A machine, or maybe several. Aloy held her finger up to her lips. He tried to quiet his movements. As they came closer, the sounds began to resolve into something ominously familiar: footsteps, pounding into the ground as the machine kept its vigil over its territory.

They emerged into a broader area where the land sloped up from the river, and for a moment his breath stopped entirely.

A Thunderjaw. Of all the machines that could have wandered into their path, this was the one he wanted to face the least – though, as he glanced at Aloy, the set to her face, the lack of fear, he wondered if she would share the same sentiment. Those greater machines in the northern lands sounded as though they'd surpassed any the Carja had ever known.

The Thunderjaw's patrol route was blocking their only option for escaping the canyon and their pursuers, unless they wanted to try swimming. The river was moving fast here, tumbling over rocks and spilling into white-tipped rapids. It didn't seem like much of an option. Neither did the Thunderjaw.

"What should we do?" he asked softly, immediately and completely deferring to Aloy. He knew his place in Meridian. He knew it here, too. 

"You see that passage over there, between the rocks in the canyon wall? Go lay some traps as close as you can get to it," said Aloy. "The Thunderjaw will probably notice us eventually, but we don't need to take it down. Just _slow_ it down. And if I time things right, it might even take care of our other problem for us."

Avad chuckled quietly, despite the urgency of their situation. "You always seem to have a plan."

"It's what I was taught," she said. "It's kept me alive so far."

"Well, I appreciate it. I think I would have frozen up and that would have been the end of the fourteenth Sun King."

"Oh, I don't know." She smirked. "You seem pretty resourceful. Can handle yourself when you need to. I'll catch up with you when it's time. Just wait as close as you can get to our escape route." With that, she clambered up over a boulder and was gone, disappearing into the brush and tall grass.

Despite his quickening heartbeat, he set about his assigned task with grim determination. He laid the first traps near the spot where Aloy had left him. From there he worked his way toward the wide opening of the passage that led into the canyon, setting tripwires and blastwires at regular intervals. None of them would do very much, but they might knock free some of the Thunderjaw's outer plating. Allow Aloy a shot at its weaker points. Avad was not so arrogant to think he would be particularly helpful in bringing it down when the time came. He'd taken part in hunts to bring down Glinthawks and even a few Stormbirds with the Oseram, but he'd never tried it alone.

The battle broke out without warning and before he'd finished placing his last few traps. One moment there was only the thundering sound of the great beast's footsteps; the next there was pure chaos. The Shadow Carja poured into the valley and found themselves caught in the Thunderjaw's rampaging path. Debris and projectiles from the Thunderjaw's weaponry flew in every direction. It was all Avad could do to stay on his feet and keep moving toward the passage Aloy had pointed out.

He was crouching down to try to lay one last trap beside a boulder when a massive sweep of the Thunderjaw's tail just barely caught his left side, sending him sprawling. A single step further to the right and he would have been dead. He took a moment to praise the sun, or the stars, or whoever was listening, before he was scrambling back to his feet to escape. The blow had left its mark, but he ignored the pain radiating up from his side as he tried to find his balance.

"Aloy!" he shouted. He couldn't raise his voice enough to be heard over the Thunderjaw's din. Disoriented, he struggled to locate her, turning left and right and left again.

"Aloy?" he called again, as he kept searching for her.

"Come on." She had suddenly appeared at his side and grabbed him by the shoulder. "While they're all distracted, let's get out of here!"

Needing no further encouragement, he followed as she led him away. They moved at a swift pace through the narrow passage among the rocks until it widened out again on the other side. The sounds of battle slowly dimmed as they got further and further away. Aloy led him up a sloping hill and into a stand of trees. Only then did she relent and slow down, but they kept moving anyway. Judging by the sun, they were heading south. Avad kept pace with her as best he could, despite his injury. 

Finally, Aloy came to a stop. She looked around and chose a small depression beneath a rock overhang as their camp for the night. She laid her pack against a tree and got to work gathering wood for a small fire.

Relieved, Avad lowered his aching body to the ground. He slumped against the rocks, his hand going to his side. When he glanced down, there was blood on his shirt – but dried already. A shallow wound, then. No cause for concern. He let out a breath.

"You're hurt," said Aloy. She dropped the ridgewood she was carrying and came closer. There was dismay in her eyes as she knelt beside him and reached down to peel back his shirt. 

He winced. The dried blood in the silk had stuck to his side. The injury might not be serious, but the pain was real. 

"I'll live," he replied, smiling weakly at her.

"Let me see." Her fingers worked swiftly but carefully to move his clothing out of the way. Her frown deepened when she surveyed the wound, but she immediately set about retrieving bandages and herbs from one of her many pouches.

He said nothing, watching her as she tended to him. His side ached faintly. The rocks supporting his weight were uncomfortable, digging into his back. He voiced no complaint.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, when she was nearly finished.

"I was just thinking that you are a very capable woman, Aloy. Ah, but I apologize."

"For...?"

"The last time I brought up this topic, you said neither of us were ready for it."

She paused for a moment. She seemed to be thinking it through, or struggling with some inner turmoil. "I think we're past that," she said finally.

"Oh?"

She only smiled and looked away, her braids falling loose around her shoulders. He had a mad urge to reach out and take them in hand, to run his fingers through her hair. He suppressed it, as he had so many things since he took his father's throne.

"It's too bad we couldn't deal a more decisive blow," he said, leaning back against the rock behind him in weariness.

"I'd say the Thunderjaw probably took care of enough of them that you don't need to worry anytime soon. About these ones, anyway. You probably have more enemies somewhere else."

"I'm sure I do," he said dryly.

"You get some rest. I'll go hunt for dinner."

"Thank you, Aloy." He spoke with more open sincerity than he'd meant, and he caught the way she raised her eyebrows. He caught the way she smiled, too – and he wondered. Briefly, foolishly. Helplessly.

\---

The pain had mostly faded by the time had Aloy returned with some fish she'd caught from a nearby stream, roasted them, and they'd both eaten their fill. The sun was starting to set, though some of its rays were still falling through the trees.

He was staring at her. He knew he needed to stop. He knew, but he couldn't make himself do it. He was starting to realize how soon this would all end. He would go back to his life, and she would go back to hers, and their paths would cross only when and if one of them had need of the other. She wasn't his guard or his queen. He wasn't her king. He couldn't bid her to stay by his side, no matter how he longed to beg her for it.

"... What?" she asked, when she glanced at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's-"

"What, Avad?" There was a lilt to her voice, like she was teasing him. He didn't dare to hope as she came closer and knelt in front of him again. "What is it?"

And so he gave in. Just like he had the first time he'd suggested how he viewed her – _stupidly_. The one thing a king could never afford to be, but he seemed to lose his mind when he was around her.

"Your hair, it's..." He caught it in his fingers, red and orange catching in the light of the sunset.

"Hm?" She shook her head back and forth slightly, letting her braids sway.

"This is pure blasphemy, but it reminds me of the sun," he said softly. "The dawn when it breaks over the mountains. The glory of the light falling over the land, chasing away the shadow."

Aloy laughed. The sound reminded him of the sun, as well. The way it caught the water in one of the pools in the palace, sparkling in the ripples.

She moved at the same time as he did. She knelt over his lap; he reached up to cup her cheek. His heart was beating too fast, like it had when the Thunderjaw towered over him. She seemed to occupy a similarly large space in his awareness. He couldn't bring himself to speak for fear of the sense that this was a fleeting moment that would never come again.

She leaned in. Her lips brushed against his, and the rest of the world might as well have ceased to exist in its entirety.

\---

The journey back to Meridian was uneventful as such things went, save the evenings they spent together. Avad already knew he would treasure this time with her: alone on the road, with no one but each other for company, no pressing worries to weigh them down. It was unlikely he would escape from the royal court like this again soon, if he ever did at all. But he had chosen his own path and would bear it, whatever the cost.

Still. He could indulge in this while it lasted.

\---

Dawn was breaking over Meridian when they finally arrived at the gates of the palace, dustier and wearier but victorious in the end. He parted ways with Aloy with a promise that his guards would provide her with a bath, food, and laundered clothing. She needed no encouragement. Neither did he. There was a certain freedom and joy to being on the road – to being Avad, the man, instead of Avad, the Sun King – but he'd still missed soap and scented oils rather dearly.

She came to him in his personal quarters a few hours later, her clothes and body scrubbed clean. He smiled when he saw her and gestured for her to come closer.

"I have something for you," he said.

"Oh?"

He beckoned her over to a stand he'd asked someone to set up while she was tending to herself. On it, he'd had them lay out a silk outfit in reds and oranges and deep yellows, embroidered with gold thread. Something fitting for the woman who had saved his life and his city. For the woman he so admired and longed for.

"I had to dress like an adventurer," he said. "I thought maybe you'd like to try your hand at dressing like a queen?"

She gave him a look, her hand on her hip, one eyebrow arched. He loved her all the more fiercely for it. 

"I'm not one of the ladies in your court, Avad," she said.

"I would never dream of imagining you that way. These are the silks worn by the finest Carja warriors. I would have my people see you as I do." His voice had gone low and rough. He cleared his throat, embarrassed once more at his own lack of self-control.

" _This_ is how you see me?" she said, sounding skeptical. Then she gave him a slanted smile. "I'm just joking, don't look at me like that. All right, I'll get changed. I'm guessing you want me to stick around for dinner?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

Aloy stopped to kiss his cheek as she gathered up her new clothing. He saw the smirk playing at her lips before she ducked behind the privacy screen set up in the corner of his bedchamber.

When she came back out, adorned from head to toe in the colors of the sun, of her hair, she stole his breath entirely. He needed a moment to compose himself. Once he had, he held out his arm to her. 

"Shall we?" he asked.

She eyed him for a moment before she seemed to give in, or at least acquiesce. She took his arm with a bright smile. It was blinding to look at, yet he found himself doing it anyway.

"Lead the way," she said.

\---

After taking their meal and then attending to a number of urgent matters that had been awaiting his return to Meridian, he went back to his balcony for a moment's peace. The night air was warm and still. Silence had fallen over the city, but there were still faint sounds of voices and laughter coming from deeper within the palace.

Aloy joined him some time later. They stood there together, looking out over the misty jungle below. She was wearing her traveling clothes now. He knew what it meant. He chose not to say anything immediately.

A cool breeze began to blow, likely coming down off the northern mesas. He closed his eyes for a moment, just savoring it.

"Do you think you might stay?" he asked quietly, after he'd opened his eyes again to glance at her. "Even for a little while? We could use your help with any number of things."

Aloy hesitated. He feared she might not even answer. Then she gave him a weary smile as she shook her head. His tension eased, relieved to see nothing had changed between them, now that he stood again in his place and she in hers.

"Not today," she said. 

He thought he heard an element of _coyness_ in her voice. Hope rose in his chest – maybe to be extinguished, but he had to nurture it anyway.

"But someday?" he asked. "Someday, you might think about it?"

"We'll talk about it later," was all she said.

He nearly left it at that. He nearly let her walk away again, as she had so many times before. Something moved him to step forward, moved his lips to speak, before she could.

"Forgive me for this, but I need to say it before you go: I would wait a hundred years under the scorching heat of the noonday sun for you, Aloy. That's probably not something a king should say, but I am also a man, as flawed as any other."

There was another long pause. Again, Avad worried that he'd gone too far, though he didn't regret his words. He couldn't regret speaking the truth to her. Laying himself bare for her judgment.

"... Maybe someday, then," Aloy said finally. She was still smiling faintly as she turned away. "If you keep talking like that, how could I resist?"

Impulsively, he took her wrist in his hand. He waited for her to turn back before he did anything. She looked up to his eyes and leaned in toward him.

He closed the remaining space between them and kissed her one more time. As their lips met, the fire in his core could have rivaled the sun itself in its brightness. Blasphemy after blasphemy, but as her hand came up to rest over his jaw, he couldn't make himself feel any need to repent.


End file.
